It was a long time ago, but Eddie Jackson was a starter for the Chicago Bears under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio of the Philadelphia Eagles.
PHILADELPHIA: Big-name season has begun, and the Chicago Bears, who are rebuilding, made the decision to add more players to the free-agency pool on Thursday by letting go of two team mainstays, Eddie Jackson and Cody Whitehair.
Jackson was once a playmaking talent who flourished under Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, becoming an All-Pro by only his second NFL season back in 2018. The latter instantly aroused attention in Philadelphia.
But this league moves really quickly.
Consider Fangio. Before returning to Philadelphia to take over a stop unit that sorely needs an infusion of youth, speed, and athleticism, Fangio worked as a consultant for the Eagles in the run-up to Super Bowl LVII following the 2022 season. In 2023, Fangio became the highest-paid coordinator in NFL history after leaving Chicago to take over as head coach in Denver.
Jackson, 30, played with the Bears for the duration of that period, but he never achieved the same success as he had when he was a key component of Fangio’s plan.
Jackson was ranked as the NFL’s best safety by Pro Football Focus in 2018. Following Fangio, the Alabama graduate has only had one season since that time that was better than mediocre—the 2022 campaign was an anomaly in which he finished No. 13 out of 88 safeties who played well enough to be ranked.
The other finishes, which made it simple for Chicago to move on, were No. 44 of 83 in 2019, following his first All-Pro season without Fangio, No. 63 of 94 in 2020, No. 65 of 92 in 2021, and No. 76 of 95 in the previous season.
Getting go of Whitehair, who was also a Pro Bowl player, and Jackson allowed the Bears to save $21.7 million in cap space.
The Eagles need assistance at safety, but even if you assume that Jackson would perform better under Fangio’s direction, it would be unrealistic to expect the 30-year-old to reverse a considerable career slide.
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In the best-case scenario, Jackson will only be a temporary boost; perhaps he is a better Band-Aid than veteran trade acquisition Kevin Byard, a former two-time All-Pro himself.
Ultimately, the Eagles should aim to find a longer-term solution. Sydney Brown’s late-season ACL tear complicates things a little, but early swingers at the position should take it into consideration.
Jackson should only be targeted as a backup plan in case Howie Roseman’s more sensible options are exhausted.
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